Last month, during an unusually cold and snowy period, I posted several pictures (Another Snowy Weekend) of a pair of Canada Geese. One of those pictures showed the goose sitting on her nest during a snow storm. Though I know there have been times since then when she was away from the nest, I never personally saw her leave it or the Gander stray away from his guard.
Over those last 28 days the snow hasn’t been the only threat or hardship faced by this pair of geese. Other challenges that I’ve witnessed are; hungry herons and egrets that frequently hunt this marshy area, a persistent red fox, a red-tailed hawk who’s favorite perch is a fence post in close proximity to the nest, and most recently a strong thunderstorm than included thumb sized hail.
On Saturday morning all of my watching finally paid off when I got to observe four goslings take their first peaks at the outside world. It was a lot of fun watching them go from poking their heads out from under the protection of her wings to taking their first clumsy steps.
Within the last day the goose, gander and brood have moved across the road to another small pond that is surrounded by tall grasses. It will be a much safer place for the goslings than the nest site. I’ll try to locate them and capture some additional photos as they morph over the next few weeks. It’s amazing to me how quickly goslings mature. The adults will be long overdue for a break from the constant care and guardianship they provide during that time.
Thanks for visiting, hope you enjoyed. – John
The Howard Shop 
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